STOPPAGE coach Ben Mathews says the next couple of weeks are critical in Melbourne’s preparations for the 2016 season, even though he acknowledges the players are itching to play competitive matches.

Speaking to Dee TV, Mathews said the players were making the most of their final stages of the pre-season program, before the games start.

“They’re a really important two weeks [before the NAB Challenge], because you don’t want to waste them and you want to bed down your game plan and get rid of that fatigue that you feel in match simulation,” he said.

“There is no doubt that the players are eyeing off the 27^th – the first NAB [Challenge match] against Port Adelaide over in Adelaide.

“There is no doubt they’ve got that one marked on the calendars, but it can’t be wasted this period of time.”

Mathews said three games “were more than enough” practice matches.

“I think if you play close to two full games – that sets you up really well,” he said.

“They’ve all had different preparations. Some of them have come off preparations where they might have been out for two or three weeks and they’ve come back in post-Christmas and some [players] have done the whole lot.

“We’ll manage their training loads and they’re playing loads, but I see the three game series as about right and that really prepares them for round one.” 

Mathews said the squad’s training had been strong since it returned from the Sunshine Coast camp in January.

“We’ve been able to recover from the camp really well. We’ve put in close to two weeks since we’ve been back and we’re really moving into that match simulation phase,” he said.

“We’re getting ready to perform well in NAB Challenge and we’re putting all of our structures in place and our running patterns right.

“We’ve been training all of these things in break down drills, but to put them together in match simulation – even though you’re playing against your own teammates – you’re still challenging.

“It doesn’t matter how much training you do, once you get into a match simulation drill, you’re stuffed in about five minutes. So it’s important to get through that and get your second wind and really find out what it’s going to be like in the NAB Challenge on the 27^th.”